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Tag: dhs
DHS Official Defends Monitoring Trucker Protests, Linking Terrorism To Misinfo
Recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decisions to monitor trucker protests and link domestic terrorism to misinformation have prompted backlash from some conservatives and civil libertarians, but DHS Counterterrorism Coordinator John Cohen defended his department’s actions at a Feb. 15 online event.
The DHS’s Feb. 7 bulletin warned of a heightened terrorism threat because of “false and misleading narratives,” misinformation, and “conspiracy theories.”
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors,” the bulletin said.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) reportedly accused the DHS of “policing” speech in a Feb. 15 letter, while Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) is probing the department over its methodology for crafting the bulletin, according to the Washington Times.
Cohen defended the bulletin at the Feb. 15 online event, hosted by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. He said the DHS now has “hard analysis” linking violence to narratives about government’s response to COVID-19, the 2020 election, immigration, and race.
“We have tied those narratives specifically to the overwhelming majority of domestic violent extremism incidents,” he said.
“These narratives have, in fact, inspired violence.”
According to Cohen, the threats of information are coming from all directions.
DHS says COVID misinformation is inspiring terrorism, but won’t provide any evidence
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to provide evidence to support its claims that COVID-19 “misinformation” and “false or misleading narratives” inspired violent terrorism during 2021.
DHS issued a terrorism advisory bulletin Monday warning that of the dangers of online misinformation, which the agency said has been exploited by “threat actors” and to inspire acts of terrorism.
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors,” DHS said in the bulletin. “These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence.”
The agency specified COVID-19 misinformation and false claims about election fraud in particular as contributing to violence.
DHS says online “misinformation” is a terror threat
In its latest terrorism threat bulletin, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeled online “misinformation” a terror threat.
The bulletin warned about the “proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions.”
The DHS further stated that there was an “online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis-, dis- and mal-information introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors.”
“These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence,” the bulletin stated.
According to the DHS, misinformation could result in “mass casualty attacks.”
It listed unsubstantiated claims about Covid and election fraud as the two main sources of misinformation.
DHS Attacks American Citizens Using Terrifying Tax Payer Funded Propaganda Campaign
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has partnered with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to roll out a terrorism advisory and, with it, a series of “graphic novels” called “The Resilience Series” to combat “Mis-Dis-, and Malinformation” (MDM). The series is one shameless piece of a larger puzzle that is now our government-sponsored American propaganda machine. It is stark evidence of how committed U.S. government agencies are to their current totalitarian agenda. DHS and CISA are effectively being weaponized to label certain classes of Americans as terrorists—and unfortunately, it isn’t the first time. Now they are getting creative, rolling out all the tools necessary to propagate their message to the unsuspecting American public.
Biden DHS Declares Terrorism Threat Due to ‘False and Misleading Narratives’ and ‘Conspiracy Theories’ Online
Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declared a heightened terrorism threat due to “several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories.”
In other words, any speech or opinions of which the DHS doesn’t approve is now a “terrorism threat.”
Read the tyrannical DHS National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released on Monday:
The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors.
These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence. Mass casualty attacks and other acts of targeted violence conducted by lone offenders and small groups acting in furtherance of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances pose an ongoing threat to the nation.
While the conditions underlying the heightened threat landscape have not significantly changed over the last year, the convergence of the following factors has increased the volatility, unpredictability, and complexity of the threat environment: (1) the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions; (2) continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure; soft targets and mass gatherings; faith-based institutions, such as churches, synagogues, and mosques; institutions of higher education; racial and religious minorities; government facilities and personnel, including law enforcement and the military; the media; and perceived ideological opponents; and (3) calls by foreign terrorist organizations for attacks on the United States based on recent events.
In response to these major “threats” of unsanctioned speech, the DHS said it’s “working with public and private sector partners, as well as foreign counterparts, to identify and evaluate MDM, including false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories spread on social media and other online platforms that endorse or could inspire violence.”
‘Black Mirror-Like’ Robo-Dogs Patrol US Border, Searching For Illegals
President Biden’s southern border crisis isn’t going away anytime soon as Republicans stress the need to beef up border security amid a flood of illegals crossing into the US. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently adopted quadrupedal machines to patrol the border’s harsh landscape, extreme temperatures, and dangerous obstacles to search for illegals.
DHS’ research and development team, the Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), released a statement on Tuesday specifying the use of Ghost Robotics’ robot dog ‘Ghost Vision 60’ by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the southern border to test new surveillance methods. The robot dog’s appearance is eerily similar to the rover dogs in the popular dystopian Netflix series “Black Mirror.”
“The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast, and that is exactly why a machine may excel there,” said S&T program manager, Brenda Long. “This S&T-led initiative focuses on Automated Ground Surveillance Vehicles, or what we call ‘AGSVs.’ Essentially, the AGSV program is all about…robot dogs.”
Ottawa Police Team Up With Federal Intelligence Agencies, Including US DHS and FBI, to Launch “Enhanced Intelligence Operations and Investigations” Against Truckers For Freedom Convoy
Thousands of trucks have gridlocked the Canadian capital city of Ottawa for almost a week, with protesters aiming to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end all mandates and lockdowns associated with Covid-19. Participants are refusing to leave until the authoritarian restrictions are lifted completely, and with both sides not budging, the Canadian government is turning to drastic measures in an attempt to crush the grassroots uprising.
On Friday, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) announced they are pairing with several federal intelligence agencies and other law enforcement divisions to launch “enhanced intelligence operations and investigations” that will target individuals who are participating in the Canadian Truckers For Freedom Convoy.
US law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will also assist with the crackdown by investigating “online threats that originated in the US,” despite little to no evidence or behavior that has indicated any violence is being planned.
According to the OPS statement, the ‘enhanced investigation’ will begin targeting the key figures who are behind the organization of the convoy as part of the Canadian government’s “increased effort to identify and target protestors who are funding/supporting/enabling unlawful and harmful activity by protesters.”
Former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Defraud the U.S. Government
A former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from the theft of proprietary software and sensitive databases from the U.S. government.
According to court documents, Charles K. Edwards, 61, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, executed a scheme to steal confidential and proprietary software from the government. Edwards worked for DHS-OIG from February 2008 until December 2013, including as Acting Inspector General. Prior to DHS-OIG, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). At both agencies, Edwards had access to software systems, including one used for case management and other systems holding sensitive personal identifying information of employees.
After leaving DHS-OIG, Edwards founded Delta Business Solutions Inc., located in Maryland. From at least 2015 until 2017, he stole software from DHS-OIG, along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information of DHS and USPS employees, so that his company could develop a commercially-owned version of a case management system to be offered for sale to government agencies.
DHS Warns of “Anti-Government Extremists” Terrorism Over Possible Upcoming COVID Lockdowns
The Biden administration is again warning of potential threats from terrorists foreign and domestic, saying they could be fueled by anything from the arrival of refugees from Afghanistan to possible new Covid-19 restrictions.
For the remainder of 2021 and into 2022, “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists and anti-government/anti-authority violent extremists will continue to pose a threat” to the US, said a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.
Foreign or domestic terrorists have historically targeted crowded venues and “at times caused mass causalities (sic),” the DHS pointed out, noting that the upcoming “dates of religious significance over the next few months” and the continued reopening from pandemic lockdowns “could provide increased targets of opportunity for violence.” However, they rushed to note there are “currently no credible or imminent threats tied to any dates or locations.”
However, if “new public health restrictions” are put in place in the event that a new Covid-19 variant emerges, that could also be potentially used as a “rationale” for violence against the government or public health officials by “anti-government extremists,” the DHS said.
Moreover, some “domestic violent extremists” (DVE) have “attempted to use the relocation of Afghan nationals” to the US to “exacerbate historical DVE grievances over immigration and the American Muslim community,” the bulletin argued.
The DHS also complained about “narratives online” that allegedly promote or advocate violence against “elected officials, political representatives, government facilities, law enforcement, religious communities or commercial facilities, and perceived ideological opponents.”
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